EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
SHIVA PILAY , SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT APJ AT
VEEAM SOFTWARE
It is no longer a case of ‘ if ’ businesses will fall victim to cyberattacks but ‘ when ’. Cybercriminals are well versed in exploiting weaknesses in enterprise IT systems and organizations that underestimate them risk data loss , financial loss and often irreparable damage to their business ’ reputation .
2 . Implement infrastructure : Critical systems should be protected by toolsets that provide secure remote access , enable multi-factor authentication and allow least privileged access . The more secure barriers there are to entry , the stronger your data protection will be . Controlling access is crucial .
Understanding these risks and proactively implementing prevention measures will go a long way to guaranteeing the safety of your critical data .
3 . Be ready to remediate : Hacks are inevitable , so your organization must be prepared to remediate a threat if introduced .
The damage cyberthreats can inflict upon organizations is staggering . There is no silver bullet for protecting against ransomware attacks and organizations have seen the full force of its impact in recent years . Veeam ’ s 2021 Data Protection Report
Do not pay the ransom . The only option is to restore data .
revealed that 82 % of organizations feel that they have an issue with recovering applications in time . When fundamental operations are disrupted , organizations find their hands tied and their capabilities lost to customers , putting their money and reputation at risk .
The best way to avoid this situation is prevention . IT leaders can follow these three steps to ensure their organization is armed with the fortification it needs to stave off potential attackers :
The first step to remediation involves tapping into your backup vendor partner ’ s expertise and resources . Leveraging IT partnerships can fill the gap between your configured solution and what might be missing , taking the burden of protecting your data off your shoulders .
Secondly , your organization should have an internal strategy that outlines a communication plan and identifies who is responsible for critical decisions , such as making a call to restore data , when recovering from a disaster . A list of security , incident response and identity management experts will help enable swift contact and action should their resources be required .
Finally , do not pay the ransom . The only option is to restore data . Implementing a full backup and Disaster Recovery plan gives organizations the ability to recover data in an attack , minimizing the risk of financial and reputational damage .
1 . Implement encryption : Data encryption gives your organization the upper hand when your data is compromised . Encrypting backups prevents unauthorized access to backup files , rendering them useless to a party without the decryption password . This ensures that your organization ’ s private data is always safe , even if an attacker gets past the firewall .
Ultimately , cyberthreats will exist as long as there is data to steal . Preventative measures are the best way to fight ransomware and avoid data loss , financial loss , business reputation damage and more . By implementing these strategies , organizations can learn where threats lurk and build a resilient IT environment that mediates risks and gets organizations back up and running as fast as possible .
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